Common time and Cut time
Common time, also known as 
time, is a meter with four quarter-note beats per measure.
It’s often symbolized by the common-time symbol: 
.
Cut time, also known as 
or alla breve, is a meter with two half-note beats per measure.
It’s often symbolized by the cut-time symbol: 
. For general information on time signatures, see Time
signatures.
To
mix abbreviated and non-abbreviated cut and common time signatures
- Click
the Time Signature tool
.
- Double-click
on the first measure in which you want to change the appearance of the
time signature. The Time Signature dialog box appears.
- Choose
the measures you want affected. By default, PrintMusic selects
the measure you clicked, or the area you drag-enclosed, so if that’s the
range you want, you don’t need to enter anything. To specify a different
range of measures, enter the numbers of the first and last measures making
up the region. To change the measure you selected through the end of the
piece, click Measure ___ Through End of Piece.
- Use
the Abbreviate checkbox to specify whether to abbreviate the cut or common
time signature for this time change. If you want to use the abbreviated
symbol , simply
check Abbreviate. On the other hand, if you want the time signature to
appear as numbers , just deselect Abbreviate by unchecking
the checkbox.
- Click
OK (or press return).
You return to the score, where the measure region you specified
now shows the time signature in the format you chose.
